Job Details

About the Role

The Licensing & Collaborations Manager is a key member of the licensing team, responsible for driving operational excellence and supporting the execution of licensed product and collaboration initiatives.

This role partners closely with internal cross-functional teams and external partners to ensure projects move forward efficiently, accurately, and on time.

This position is ideal for someone with strong project management instincts, operational discipline, and a working knowledge of product or merchandising workflows. The work performed in this role directly supports the success and scalability of the licensing and collaborations business.

You'll Make a Difference By

Licensing Operations & Project Management

• Managing day-to-day operations for licensing initiatives, including timelines, deliverables, approvals, and documentation
• Owning project tracking across licensed partners, ensuring milestones, calendars, and deliverables are met
• Serving as the central point of coordination for licensing activities, partner communications, and internal approvals
• Maintaining licensing calendars, trackers, and dashboards to provide visibility and accountability across projects

Collaborations Management

• Coordinating and managing collaborations with external partners and brands
• Working closely with collaboration partners to align on timelines, deliverables, approvals, and product requirements
• Managing the end-to-end collaboration process between external partners and internal product teams
• Acting as the primary liaison to ensure clear communication, workflow alignment, and issue resolution across stakeholders
• Supporting successful collaboration launches by driving accountability and cross-functional coordination

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partnering closely with Legal, Product, Merchandising, Compliance, Marketing, DTC, and Business Development teams to ensure seamless execution of licensing and collaboration workflows
• Acting as a liaison between licensors, licensees, collaboration partners, and third-party stakeholders to support alignment and resolve issues
• Supporting DTC teams with licensed and collaboration product coordination, timelines, and launch readiness

Data, Systems & Process Optimization

• Maintaining accurate data within licensing systems and databases; ensuring data integrity and version control
• Generating regular reports and analytics related to license status, compliance, KPIs, and partner performance
• Assisting in audits, reviews, and compliance checks as needed
• Identifying opportunities to streamline workflows, improve operational efficiency, and reduce risk
• Supporting the creation and maintenance of SOPs, checklists, templates, and best practices

Vendor & Partner Support

• Supporting vendor and third-party relationships related to licensing and collaborations, including regulatory consultants, application portals, and agencies
• Ensuring consistent application of internal policies, operational standards, and regulatory requirements

Additional Responsibilities

• Supporting special projects and process improvement initiatives within the licensing and collaborations function
• Assisting with other responsibilities based on business needs

About You

• 3+ years of experience in operations, project coordination, licensing, partnerships, or related roles; consumer goods or product-driven environments preferred
• Background or working knowledge of product development, merchandising, or retail workflows strongly preferred
• Proven project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Strong organizational skills and high attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable working cross-functionally and managing external partners
• Experience working with regulatory bodies or government agencies is a plus.
• Self-starter with a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset
• Merchandising experience or a strong understanding of product assortment planning, line architecture, and retail or DTC workflows is a plus

About Ariat

Ariat is an innovative, outdoor global brand with roots in equestrian performance. We develop high-quality footwear and apparel for people who ride, work, and play outdoors, and care about performance, quality, comfort, and style.

The salary range for this position is $85,000 - $95,000 per year.

The salary is determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data for geographic locations. Ariat in good faith believes that this posted compensation range is accurate for this role at this location at the time of this posting. This range may be modified in the future.

Ariat's holistic benefits package for full-time team members includes (but is not limited to):

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance options
• Expanded wellness and mental health benefits
• Paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, and paid volunteer days
• 401(k) with company match
• Bonus incentive plans
• Team member discount on Ariat merchandise

Note: Availability of benefits may be subject to location & employment type and may have certain eligibility requirements. Ariat reserves the right to alter these benefits in whole or in part at any time without advance notice.

Ariat will consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws. Ariat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics or any other basis protected under federal, state, or local law. Ariat is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to candidates with disabilities. If you need an accommodation during the application process, email ...@ariat.com.

Please see our Employment Candidate Privacy Policy at www.ariat.com/careers to learn more about how we collect, use, retain and disclose Personal Information.

Please note that Ariat does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Agreement, Ariat will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter/agency placement fee. In the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed Agreement, Ariat explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted directly to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of Ariat.